Improvement in book-holders



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE. N

GHAMBERLAYNE PHELPS, OF CLAYTON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOOK-HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,901, dated May 21, 1872; antedated April 30, 1872.

, To all whom it may concern.'

and accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the holder attached to a book. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the holder detached.

My invention consists of a book opener and holder made of an elastic curved plate, the two ends of which form a clasp, 4and one of which ends is provided with a cross-bar to hold the book open, and the other endis provided with a curved lip to t in the back crease of the book, and the holder is provided with thumb and linger plates, which serve as handles for operating it.

A is an elastic plate made of steel, brass,

i or any other suitable material, curved in an elliptical shape, the two ends projecting and arranged so as to form a clasp, as seen in Fig. 2. B is a cross-bar attached on the inside of the upper end of the plate for holding the book open, as shown in Fig. 1. C is a curved lip on the inside of the lower end of the plate to fit neatly in the back crease of the book. D D are thumb and finger plates attached on the under and upper side of the holder to serve as handles for operating the holder, as shown in Fig. 2.

The holder being made neatly and sufficiently small, may be carried in the pocket, and is very convenient and useful where books are required to be held open, especially for musiclans.

To attach the holder, 'the book being opened at the required place, insert one end of the cross-bar B in the upper end of the inner crease ofthe book, and slide the bar down the crease till the lip G enters the back crease of the book, and then pressing slightly upon the handles D D, so as to loosen the clamp, turn the holder up, placing the cross-bar across the open leaves on the upper margin of the book, thus holding the leaves without obstructing reading. (See Fig. 1.)

y Claim. I claim- The elastic book opener and holder A, having the handles D D, and projecting ends provided with cross-bar B, and curved lip G, substantially as described.

OHAMBERLAYNE PHELPS. i

Witnesses:

BERNARD HELDT, HORACE E. MORSE. 

